Improvement in apparatus for preserving food



ZSheets--SheetL A. THOMA & C. EURICH.

APPARATUS FOR PRESERVING FOOD. No, 182,971, Patented 0ct.3, 1876.

N.FETERS. PNOTO-LITMOGRAFMEP- WASHINGTON, D C

. 25h t "-S A. THoMA a c. EURICH. ee s hem APPARATUS FOR PRESER'V'INGFOOD. No.182,971. Patented Oct. 3, 1876.

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N.FEYERS. PMOTD-LITHOGRAFHER. wASHxNGmN` D C Ulvrrnn rS'rrrrns PATENTOFFICE.

ALOIS THOMA, OFv HOBOKEN, AND CHRISTIAN EURICH, OF JERSEY CITY HEIGHTS,NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR PRESERVING FQOD.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 182,971, dated October 3,1876; application filed Apri127, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALoIs THOMA, of Hohoken, and CHRISTIAN EURICH, ofJersey City Heights, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Refrigerators, whichimprovement is fully set forth in the following specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 represents alongitudinal vertical section. Fig. 2 is a transverse section. Fig. 3 isa side elevation. Fig. 4 is an end View. Fig. 5 is a sectional view ofone of the sides of our refrigerator on a larger scale than the previousfigures.

-Sfimilar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in the combination, with a hermetically-closedcooling-chamber, of a filtering-vessel, and of an airexhauster composedot' an inverted cup, which works in a vessel partly filled with liquid,said iilteringvessel being constructed of a cylinderl containing aseries of perforated trays, which are covered with loose cotton, andbeing connected to a reservoir containing air, the temperature of whichhas been reduced to f'rom 300 to 400, so that when the cooling-chamberhas ,been filled with meat or other article, and the cup of theair-exhauster is raised, the air from the cooling-chamber and from thearticles contained therein is exhausted, and by opening thecommunication with the filtering apparatus pure cold air is caused toenter the cooling-chamber, and to penetrate and cool the articlescontained therein. The sides of our cooling-chamber are composed ofseveral layers of boards, paper, and metal, with an intermediate layerof pulverized pumice-stone or other bad conductor of heat, and they arestrengthened by metallic hubs, so as to render them air-tight andcapable of resisting the pressure of the atmosphere.

In the drawing, the letter A designates our cooling-chamber, which iscomposed of an inner layer, c, of boiler-iron, and which is, bypreference, made in such a form that its crosssection is composed offour segments of ellipses joined together, whereby the chamber isrendered sufficiently strong to resist the external pressure of theatmosphere when the air from its interior has been exhausted, and,furthermore, a chamber is obtained which, with a comparatively smallcircumference, is capable to receive a large quantity of meat or ofother articles. The ends B B of the chamber A serve as doors, and theyare handled by means of a crane. The external surface of our chamber,together with its heads, is coated with a solution of india-rubber, andits interior with a solution of shellac, so that the apparatus can bereadily cleaned with water. The chamber is strengthened by hubs a, whichare held in position by screws extending through the inner wall c, ofboiler-iron. To these hubs are connected feet al, to support thechamber. Braces c', Fig. 3, prevent the hubs from shifting laterally.Between the inner walls c and the hubs a are supports e, ot' hard wood,Fig. l, and on these supports are secured boards f, leaving a space, g,Fig. 5, which is filled with pulverized porous slake ot' pumice-stonemixed with a weak solution of water-glass, or with any other suitablebad conductor of heat. The boards f are coated on their outer surfacewith a layer, d', of water-proof varnish, on which is pasted'a layer ot'paper, also coated with a water-proof varnish, and the whole isenveloped in a jacket, h, of' boards, which are coated with a good,light oil-paint. On the ends ot' the body c are secured flanges t', andsimilar flanges h are formed on the heads B B', and by placing betweenthese flanges a gasket, l, of rubber, the joints between the heads andthe body are rendered air-tight. Cn the anges It are secured plates m,and the spaces f between these plates and the heads B B are filled withpulverized pumice-stone mixed with a weak solution of water glass. Bythese means the sides as well as the ends of the chamber A aretransformed into superior insulators for heat and cold. A pipe, n,connects the interior of the chamber A with an air-exhauster, B", andanother pipe, o, serves as a connection between said chamber and afiltering apparatus, C.

The filtering apparatus is constructed as follows: On the body c issecured an elbowpipe, p, the flanged end 1 of which supports thesheet-metal cylinder s, which is closed by a cover, t. From this coverextends a pipe,

u, which connects, by a hose, v, with the reservoir containing the coldair or gas which is to be introduced into the chamber A. In the cylinders are situated a series of traverses, w, which support the lters x.These filters consist of loose cotton, or any other suitable material,inclosed between disks of wiregauze.

The air-exhauster B0 is constructed like an ordinary gas-holder of anopen-bottomed cylinder, a2, inverted into a tank, b2, filled partiallywith water or other suitable liquid. If the cylinder a2 is raised up,the air from the chamber A rushes into said cylinder, and the warm airwhich fills the pores of the meat or other article in said chamber isthereby drawn out. By providing the cylinder a2 with a suitable valve inits top, and by means of a stop cock or valve in the pipe n, the airdrawn into said cylinder can be discharged. By lowering the cylinderand. repeating the operation the raretlcation of the air in the chamberA can be carried on to the desired degree. When this has been done thepipe n is closed, and the communication between the pipe u and thereservoir containing cold air is opened, and as this cold air passesthrough the filters into the chamber A it becomes purified and deprivedof all matter capable of producing putrefaction. The purified cold air,on rea-ching the chamber A, fills the pores of the meat or otherarticles contained therein, and said articles are rapidly cooled totheir cores.

Instead of introducing` cold air into the chamber A, we have also usedcarbonic-acid or other gases-such, for instance, as a mixture ofcarbonic acid or nitrogen which is obtained from the gases evolved by aslow combustion of charcoal-said gases bein g completely burned by meansof a liberal supply of atmospheric air.

In the interior ot' the chamber A are secured metallic arches y,provided with hooks, from which the meat or other articles can besuspended. Said chamber may be provided with a floor, z, of boards.

Our apparatus can be used with particular advantage for transportingmeat over large distances. In this case the chamber A is secureddirectly to the platform of a railroadcar, and after the meat has beencooled by means of air the air is again exhausted, and cold carbonicacid is let into the chamber. In transporting meat over Very largedistances it is desirable to provide for additional cooling by means ofice or cooling-mixtures during the time of transportation.

Our apparatus can also be used with advantage for shipping meat todistant countries. In this case thechambers A are made of convenientsize, so that the same, after having been lled with meat, can be readilytransported on board of vessels, the meat having been cooled and chargedwith carbonic acid immediately after its introduction in the chamber.Atter the vessel has reached its point of destination the carbonic acidis exhausted, and cold air of from 420 to 460 is let into the chamber,and after a -few hours the meat isY ready `to be sold.

Our apparatus can also be :used with advantage for the transportation offruits or vegetables.

What we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a closed chamber, A, of a cylinder, C,containing a series of openbottomed trays containing loose cotton, andof an exhauster, B', the cylinder C being connected to the chamber A bya pipe, o, and the exhauster B being in communication with said chamberby a pipe, all substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

2. A refrigerating-chamber, A, constructed of a layer, c, of sheetmetal, with lianges i to support the heads B B and the plates m, incombination with supports e, fastened to the layer c and sustaining theboards f, jacket h, and the hubs a, which are provided with feet al, allconstructed and operating substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our handsand seals this 20th day of April, 1876.

ALOIS THOMA. lL. s. CHRISTIAN EURIOH. lL. s. Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER.

